C.T. Adams is a U.S.A. Today Bestselling Author who writes both individually and as co-author with Cathy L. Clamp. Our new joint pen name is Cat Adams. This is Cie's Blog. View and Participate AT YOUR OWN RISK (BWA, HA, HA, HA!!!)

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Visiting Dignitary Kristan Higgins!

HELLO KRISTAN!

Guys, I met
Kristan on the Levy tour a few years ago. Since then she's had great success
writing what I consider to be a perfect blend of romance and humor -- with
dogs. Please give her a warm welcome. (Shouts and applause inserted
here.)

Yay! Thank you, Cie! Happy to be
here!

So, I've got
to ask -- WHY DOGS?

Because dogs rule! That’s why! Let’s
face it: if our dogs could take on male human form, we’d marry them. They’re
loving, faithful, only want to be with us…and if they eat a shoe here or there,
hey. Small price to pay.

Seriously, I’ve been a dog person all
my life. NOT having a dog would be weird to me, so my heroines just naturally
had pooches. The exception is Lucy from The Next Best Thing; she has a cat named
Fat Mikey. And Posey in Until There Was You owns three cats…well, they own her,
let’s be honest.

Most people
take romance, love and passion very seriously, and I'm sure you do too, but
there's definitely humor in all of your books thatI've read. Why do you choose
a lighter, funnier approach?

It’s just part of who I am. I think I
can get as emotional as anyone, but life generally puts us in a stew of
emotions, rather than doling one out at a time. I think romance novels make
readers feel good by delivering on the promise of a happy ending; I want my
readers to feel good all the way through, and even better at the happy ending.
That being said, if you don’t cry at least once while reading one of my books,
I’ll feel a bit disappointed.

When did you
start writing? Was it always your goal/passion, or did you stumble into writing
after another career? If so, what did you do before?

It wasn’t always my passion by a long
stretch. Reading was my passion (is my passion). I worked in PR and advertising
for about 10 years before I gave writing fiction a try, so I’d always had those
muscles in action, as it were. When my kids (now teenagers) were little, I
wanted to find something to do that was just for me, as opposed to grinding up
homemade baby food or taking the kids to the duck pond. I also wanted to
continue to be astay-at-home mommy and somehow contribute to the family
finances, so I said, “You know, Higgins, you’ve certainly read enough romance
novels in your life. Bet you could write one.” And the rest, as they say, is
history.

It wasn’t easy, of course; nothing
worthwhile is. But it was joyful work, so I knew I was onto something
right.

If you were
stuck on a desert island with one of your characters, who would it be?
Why?

Oh, lawd have mercy, that’s a tough
one! I’m going to have to say my current hero, because I’m totally smitten with
him (obsessed is another word). His name is Levi. That’s all you’re gonna get.
Okay, okay, I’ll tell you more. Hot, brooding…sleepy blue eyes, reluctant smile,
unconventionally heroic. Sigh!

What animal
is closest to your personality? (If you were an animal instead of a person,
what would you be?)

I
would be the majestic Lone Wolf, Cie, roaming the dark, cold forests of the
North—oh, wait, that’s not quite right, is it? How about a giraffe? I’m pretty
laid back, like to hang out with others and eat. Giraffes always seem to be
eating, so that works for me.

Do you listen
to music when you write? If so, what kind?

I
do, and it’s terrible. I think I have OCD when it comes to music and writing
because I listen to one song over and over and over. I do a vast and exhaustive
search, usually with the help of my Facebook fans, and try to find a song that
suits the mood of the book, or one scene in the book. Once I’ve found it, that’s
all I play. In the car, at home, in my office, and if I had to live with myself,
I’d kill me. Currently, the song is Us Against the World by Coldplay. I’ve
currently played it 224 times on my computer. But I’m only chapter four. And for
the record, I have no idea what Chris Martin meant this song to express; I only
know what it means to me and this book.

I’ve found that having The Song puts me
in the mood to write almost immediately. A Pavlovian response, if you will, and
as you know, writing is hard, so I’ll take any help I can get.

Do YOU have
any pets?

I
certainly do! I have a rescued mutt named Willow, who is tremendously adorable
and snuggly. And I am owned by a cat named Huck, whom we adopted from a shelter.
I’m a big believer in rescuing and adopting animals. I don’t think I’d ever buy
a dog or cat when there are so many in need of homes. Will get off my soapbox
now.

What's one
bit of advice you'd give to aspiring writers (and is itokay if I post this on
the website I share with Cathy?)

Sure!

My advice to writers is this: believe
in yourself, and get over yourself. You CAN become a published author. It’s
hard, and you may have a long road in front of you, but if you believe and work
toward that goal and do what you need to do, whatever that might be, you can do
it! Everyone who really wants it can get it. I truly believe that.

And then the second part—get over
yourself. I think being hard on myself is one of the reasons I’ve gotten this
far. I don’t think I’m all that, in other words, but I do think I work hard, I
feel deeply and I try really, really hard to write a great book. The day I think
I’m amazing is the day my career starts to tank.

You have a
fairly extensive catalog at this point. Would youcare to share a link or give
us a list? What do you have coming out in 2012.

All my books are listed on my website
in the bookshelf section. www.kristanhiggins.com, and on
my Facebook page, www.Facebook.com/KristanHigginsBooks. My ninth
book comes out in April; it’s called SOMEBODY TO LOVE, and readers will see some
familiar faces including…yes!…Maloner the Loner. He seems to have a cult devoted
to him. At any rate, readers will visit Gideon’s Cove, Maine, once again for a
new story in which Malone and Maggie and a bunch of great characters from CATCH
OF THE DAY all appear. That epilogue you guys wanted for Maggie and Malone? It’s
in there.

Who are some
of your favorite authors, and why?

That’s always a tough question because
there are literally about a hundred authors whose work means so much to me. In
romance, they’re Eloisa James, Robyn Carr, Jill Shalvis, Rachel Gibson, Sherry
Thomas, JuliaQuinn. But I also love Thomas Hardy, Edith Wharton and Stephen
King. My taste is eclectic. Sue me.

What's a fun
fact about you that most readers don't know?

Oh, let’s see. I had a horse named
Jenny when I was growing up. I was probably thrown at least 100 times (she was a
naughty horse), andthis was back in the days when we rode without helmets.
Explains a lot, doesn’t it?

Well, thanks
for coming by. I really enjoyed having you here. I'm hoping to run into you at
one of the cons sometime soon. Again, thanks.

Thanks, Cie! It’s lovely to visit with
you again, even if it’s via the web. Hope to see you soon, too!

72 comments:

Hi Kristan!I love reading about romance and humor, but I don't think I've read anything with a dog in yet, but I've seen Until There Was You and would love to read it! "if our dogs could take on male human form, we’d marry them"... LOL! How true!

Love your books Kristin. congrats on the new release. I am also a big dog fan. I have 2 large dogs. I have a Mastiff and a Pitbull. Both outdoor dogs and we live in the country and have plenty of room to run.Would love to win and read this book. Thanks for the chance to win.christinebails@yahoo.com

Hiya Kristan!!!I absolutely love your books! I happened by one at a table where they were giving books away, and I saw yours. OMG I couldn't believe that they had a perfectly good book there. I snatched it up, devoered it in one day and went to the library for more!

I love how you always include dogs in the story and I can certianly tell you that I have had dogs that acted the same way.

I love Kristan Higgins! Her books are awesome I love humor in my books and she has it nailed!I love to read stories with animals in them it shows a softer side to the characters. Thanks for sharing with us a great post today!

Kristan, I can't say that I've ever read any of your books (yet) but I do have several on my tbb list. I am definitely an animal person myself but unfortunately I can't have any where we are currently living so my husband is quite thankful for that fact (he is not an animal person at all, lol). I appreciate the tips for the aspiring author as I am working on my first book now! Thank you for the interview! greeneyesredhair@gmail.com

Hey, Kristan. It's just so great when you share your thought process ad personal info with us. Makes me feel like I know you somewhat. And I love dogs, too!April is just around the corner, so won't have to wait too long for the new book, which is great.